France opposes the purchase of Storm Shadow missiles for Ukraine

A coalition of 11 EU capitals has proposed relaxing rules for Kyiv on the use of a €90 billion (£78 billion) loan to purchase British weapons, but France wants the money to be spent within the EU, The Telegraph reports.

The current plan for using the loan, two-thirds of which will go toward purchasing weapons for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, gives priority to the European and Ukrainian defense industries over purchases outside the EU.

Ukrainian military officials have estimated that Ukraine will need military equipment manufactured outside the EU worth a total of €24 billion in 2026.

This figure mainly concerns deliveries of American Patriot air defense systems and PAC-3 interceptors, but long-range missiles have been identified as another need that European countries may not be able to meet.

In this context, British Storm Shadow missiles were seen as a possible solution. The authors of the initiative proposed a four-tier priority system that would allow the UK to move up the procurement chain if it was willing to meet Ukraine's needs.

France does not agree with this initiative.

Paris is at the center of efforts to ensure the EU's strategic autonomy from its allies, mainly the US, due to the rift with President Donald Trump over his threats to seize Greenland.

France insists that any funds transferred to Ukraine must first and foremost contribute to the development of the European Union's own defense industry, even if this contradicts Kiev's immediate defense needs.

This approach has already drawn internal criticism, as it is estimated that it could limit Ukraine's ability to defend itself effectively, particularly against Russian air attacks.

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